Category: Review

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Whisk Premium Matcha’s Everyday

Everyday by Whisk Premium Matcha
Green Tea (Matcha) / Straight
$25.00 for 30g

First Impressions

Everyday was a purchase from the Vancouver Tea Festival, and I somehow haven’t talked about it yet (!). It was the matcha that was ‘on tap’ at their table for samples, and I loved it so much that I ended up buying a bag to take home. And honestly, at that point the idea of whisking it up at home gave me a sense of anxiety because it’s a) not an inexpensive matcha, and b) what did I know about whisking matcha anyways? Nevertheless, I’ve gained some whisking experience since then and here we are.

Everyday is a first harvest matcha, it comes in a sealed, resealable pouch with some information on the front and the back of the packaging. Everyday is described as being a first harvest matcha that comes from family-run tea farms in Uji, Kyoto, Japan. This is a 100% pure organic matcha. The powder itself is a nice bright, spring green colour. I find it has a bit of a light grassy aroma to it.

Preparation

If you need any matcha preparation tips, Whisk Premium Matcha provides information on their website that I find to be highly informative. (I also go through it a bit on One More Steep as well, but in less technical detail.)

I sifted 2 teaspoons worth of Everyday into my matcha bowl and poured in 175°F (79°C) water. I whisked it using a bamboo whisk, using a W motion back and forth until a thin layer of bubbles frothed up on top.

First Taste

Everyday whisks up to a light green layer of bubbles, followed by a dark, almost hunter-green matcha. I found the aroma to be grassy and floral. The flavour was a pleasant mix of umami, grassy, and vegetal notes that remind me of asparagus. There is a slight bitterness to it, but I don’t find it off-putting because it balances well against the other flavour notes.

A Second Cup?

No second cups because matcha is a suspension.

My Overall Impression

I loved Whisk Premium Matcha’s Everyday. I can definitely see why it’s a fan favourite. Everyday has a lovely flavour profile in an affordable matcha while coming from organic farming practices that Kimmy (the owner of Whisk Premium Matcha) can trace back to specific family-run tea farms. I quite enjoy it, and I’ve also had this matcha both straight and mixed up in a latte (which was also delicious, and a great way to temper down the bitterness if you’re not fond of that aspect of matcha).

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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Tea Experience: Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon

Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon
Surrey, BC
High Tea – $26.99 each

Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon is in a hidden area, near a car dealership, a hotel, and the perpetually busy Langley Bypass. The store front is almost unassuming, not giving anything away of what magic lies within, but venture in I did! The inside features all white tables, white chairs, walls, and high ceilings. Giant paper flowers adorned the walls and made the place look fun. I went on a Saturday and it was busy! There were reservations for every single table the day that I went, so I would highly recommend making a reservation so you’re not disappointed.

The place settings were beautiful. We each had a cup and saucer, as well as a plate for food. There wasn’t a physical menu for the afternoon tea food items, but there was one for the tea choices. I opted for the Organic White Peony & Jasmine blend. The nice thing about Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon is that each guest receives their own teapot – both of the ones that arrived at our table were white with gold polka dots.

Organic White Peony & Jasmine had a very pleasant flavour. There was the sweetness and floral notes from the jasmine, that went really well with the white tea base, which had its own floral notes to it as well.

The food arrived on a three-tier stand – sandwiches at the bottom, followed by scones and phyllo cups, and ending off with desserts at the very top.

The sandwiches we received were: curried egg salad on croissant, cucumber on herb cream sandwich, chicken salad sandwich, smoke salmon with cream cheese on pumpernickel, and a caramelized onion pinwheel. My favourites from the sandwich tier included the curried egg salad on croissant (such a great amount of flavour!) and the smoked salmon with cream cheese on pumpernickel (for the great flavour combination).

The second tier consisted of cream scones, paired with jam and what Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon calls their Enchanted Devonshire cream, along with Spanakopita phyllo cups. I loved the sugary crust to the scones – I like ’em sweet when I’m slathering on the jam and cream. I found the scones to be delicious – nice and flakey and worked well with the jam and cream! I really liked the presentation of the jam and cream as well, the use of small clear glasses worked well.

Last, but certainly not least, was my favourite tier (always!): desserts. Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon explains that they often rotate through desserts. When I went, it was the brownie, lemon tart with blackberry, and custard tart with blueberry. The brownie was rich and fudgey, just the way I like it. The lemon tart had a nice balance between the sweet and tart, and the shell was buttery. The blueberry custard tart was so good, I just wish it was bigger! My favourite was definitely the lemon tart with blackberry – they did a great job balancing the flavours.

Enchanted Cake Studio & Tea Salon does a lovely job on their afternoon tea service. The best way I would describe it is as a modern take on afternoon tea – with the white minimalism, the blend of modern and classic food items, while pairing with beautiful tea cups and saucers. I really enjoyed the food and tea – I quite liked the tea that I had picked (Organic White Peony & Jasmine). I think if I go back, I’ll try the Organic Cream of Earl Grey (which is my usual afternoon tea choice, but I wanted to try something new) just for a more classic tea choice.

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DavidsTea’s Matcha Matsu

Matcha Matsu by DavidsTea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Straight
$17.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Another Monday, another matcha! It’s been making for a great regular cup of matcha at home, and this was a matcha from the Matcha Discovery Kit previously mentioned. The matcha comes in a coloured foil pouch that’s sealed, and resealable. Surprisingly, this isn’t a matcha I haven’t tried yet from DavidsTea because I feel like I’ve needed to try them all.

Matcha Matsu has a pistachio green colour, with a light grassy aroma. The matcha comes from Nishio, Japan. I do like the colour, and think it’s a lovely shade.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends whisking Matcha Matsu in 75°C (170°F) water. I opted to have this drink hot, and used my variable temperature kettle to heat the water to 175°F and allowing the water to cool for a few minutes prior to whisking (and the matcha was sifted prior to whisking!).

First Taste

Matcha Matsu whisks easily and is a bright green colour. The matcha whisks up an easy layer of bubbles on top of the matcha. There’s some grassy and umami notes, with bitter undertones with each sip that lingers. The salty-umami flavour is stronger than the grassy notes, but the bitterness can be a bit overwhelming compared to the rest of the flavour profile.

A Second Cup?

No second steepings with matcha!

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s Matcha Matsu was just okay. I just found it to be more bitter than I had hoped. It might be a good matcha option if you’re looking to make up a cup of matcha latte because some sweetener and frothed milk would help temper and cover up those bitter notes from the straight matcha (this is likely how I’ll use up the rest of the matcha!). But for those who enjoy the bitter qualities of matcha, you might like this one. The grassy notes are pleasant, but the bitter notes need to be toned down for me.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.